Illusory
by xxangel221xx
Summary: AU. In a city riddled with crime and corruption, integration between Terrans and Methuselah is at a standstill. In her search for Vitez's killer, Esther meets a wayward detective...
Disclaimer: I don't own Trinity Blood.

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 **Prologue**

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"There are no more openings today. Come back tomorrow, we might have some then!"

Despite the storm of protests that followed his announcement, the foreman turned, walked back into his office, and slammed the door shut. It jumped slightly as he bolted it from the other side.

"That damn bastard says the same thing every day."

"Time to get back to the hole, eh?"

"Outta the way! I ain't gonna be some monster's snack!"

Esther sighed as she followed the quickly dispersing crowd. Above, rain pattered softly on the factory's awning. She thought it would've stopped by now, as it had been overcast for the last two days. _Guess not._ As the group neared the gates, she untied the shawl around her shoulders and wrapped it around her head.

What to do? She could always ask Dietrich to put in a good word for her at the plant, but he'd already done that, and she knew they weren't hiring. Luckily, her rent wasn't due until the end of the month. If she could pick up a few more odd jobs here and there, then things just might even out.

She continued walking. It was dark, and the streets were nearly empty. She passed by a smoking can, whose owners she suspected left not too long ago. Empty bottles and wooden sticks littered the surrounding pavement, and the aroma of roasted meat breezed through the air. She clutched at her rumbling stomach. _Tomorrow. I'll go to the markets bright and early tomorrow morning and haggle down some fresh bread._

Down her line of sight, a tall figure came into view. She nearly tripped on the sidewalk when she noticed that it was a man whose appearance was mostly obscured by a dark shroud; it seemed to blend in with the black robes he wore. He was walking in an odd, slouched manner that set her hair on end. Esther cursed the lack of proper lighting in the industrial district, for surely she would have seen him sooner. Quite suddenly, she became aware of the fact that they were very much alone.

Awkwardly, she pretended to check the time on the dead watch she wore before ambling onto the street. As she crossed, she stole a glance at the man from the corner of her eye. By the grace of God, he paid her no mind. Good. She'd had her fill of crazy for the day.

She released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Adjusting her improvised head wrap so as to keep out the increasingly heavy rain, she stood a bit taller and quickened her pace. She was about fifteen minutes from her apartment, give or take. It might as well been a world away, however. Fortunately, she recognized the blacked-out windows of a convenience store not far away. It marked the end of the industrial complex and the beginning of the neighborhood.

She looked down at her watch before remembering that it wasn't functional. It was a bit of a bad habit. With autumn on its way, dusk came earlier. There was no ordinance enacting winter curfew hours yet, so there was a chance that _they_ would start coming out…She hoped not, especially not in this area. The idea of it sent a shiver down her spine. She seldom interacted with those who called themselves methuselah, outside of transit hours. For the most part, both sides maintained a proper distance from one another. That did not account for the fact that incidents of crime skyrocketed during that period, though, but that was a whole other can of worms.

The sound of footsteps pulled her from her thoughts. She felt a pang of dread as she spied two men wearing jackets and hats trailing behind her. They maintained their distance, but mirrored her pace closely. _You've got to be kidding me._

Heart racing, she clasped her hands tightly. They were in the residential district, but the streets were deserted. She'd been spending a lot of time in the area lately, so this was bound to happen eventually. _I can run, or scream. Best do both._

Just as she took her first sprint, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and lifted her off the ground. _Haste._ The realization came too late.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked one of the men. Fangs protruded from his lips, and his red eyes flashed.

She gaped at the unnatural features, but resumed struggling in his grip. "L-let go, vampire!"

With a snarl, he threw her into an alley. Esther slammed against a wall before crumpling to the ground, breath knocked out of her. His strength was terrifying. Her mind was still numb from shock when he slowly walked towards her.

"You are a bit clever for a terran. You heard us coming after you, huh?"

"Johann! Don't rough the girl up too much, it'll ruin the taste. How many times do I have to tell you?" called the other man, who came into view with a wide grin on his face.

"I prefer them that way though. It gives their blood a little kick."

"You're monsters!" she choked, as she scrambled as far away from them as possible. She reached for anything that could act as a weapon, but all she found was trash. She looked up into the shaded windows above them, and saw that there were shadows behind almost every one.

"Help!" she bellowed. "Anybody, please! Someone call the police-"

In the blink of an eye, Johann pinned her against the side of the building. One hand pressed firm over her mouth. She did her best to move, but she was no match for him. Some of the shadows at the windows shifted, and vanished from sight. His hot breath rolled over her as he bared her neck. "You might have to find your own," he called back to his partner. "I don't think I'm going to stop until this one's dried up!"

She was done for! Esther closed her eyes, and hoped that it would at least be fast.

Nothing happened.

Seconds passed. Apparently, it was going to be rather slow. What was he waiting for? Terror faded into dread. Something was off, but she couldn't articulate how or why.

With a sudden gust of wind, the vampire released his hold on her abruptly. Slumping against the wall, she opened her eyes, but to no avail. She massaged her aching neck. There was no one in front of her- Johann was gone. What on earth was happening? Had he simply disappeared? He was nowhere to be seen. Wasn't there another man with him-?

A blood-curdling scream drew her eyes to the far right. Esther would have joined in as well if she wasn't so frightened herself. In the shadows, a tall figure leaned over Johann. The latter kept screaming, on and on, while doing his best to wrangle out of the newcomer's grasp. To the side lay the shrunken husk of Johann's accomplice. His blood had been completely drained.

Screams turned to howls of pain. "Monster! Monster!" he kept braying. The fight went out of him quickly, however, as the stranger continued his drink.

Esther stared dumbly at the scene. This was simply impossible. While she generally found methuselah unnerving, this was downright unnatural. It was surreal, almost. A methuselah was feeding on one of its brethren! She'd never heard of such a thing.

Johann was finished. Satiated, the stranger laid his corpse down with almost careful measure. Esther watched with morbid fascination until it snapped its attention to her.

Blood dripped from his face and clothes; it fell faster than the rate at which the rain washed it away. In the ringing silence, she heard every thick drop splatter against the ground. But that didn't consume her attention. It was those eyes, those horrifying red eyes that promised death.

In a sudden moment of clarity, Esther turned heel towards the alley's opening and ran. She sprinted as fast as she could, because her life absolutely depended on it. As she tore down the block, she expected to be tackled down. It never came though, and that thought helped spur her further.

She glanced back, but surprisingly, he had not followed.

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A/N: I've had this fic in my head for a while now. Let me know what you think!


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